Winter Meetings, Day 3

Wednesday was highlighted by Ted Lilly, of all people, whose agent informed the Blue Jays early in the day that they were out of the mix, leaving the Cubs and Yankees to battle for his services.

By the time people began thinking about their dinner plans, Lilly had agreed to a four-year, $40 million deal with the Cubs, leaving the Yankees to focus on the true object of their desire — Andy Pettitte.

In my opinion, the Yankees were never truly serious about signing Lilly, who would have cost them $56 million over four years when you factor in the luxury tax. But by making themselves a part of the Lilly sweepstakes, the Yanks forced Pettitte to make a decision regarding his future, as his agent announced that he would play in 2007.

I know that many people believe that Pettitte will never leave Houston, but I’m not so sure about that. If he knows that this is his final season, then there would be no better place for Pettitte to finish his career than in the Bronx.

As for the rest of the day, Jason Schmidt told teammates he was headed for the Dodgers for three years and $47 million, catchers changed addresses as Bengie Molina joined the Giants, Mike Lieberthal became a Dodger and Mike Piazza signed with the A’s to be Oakland’s DH.

The news was capped off by an evening trade which sent Freddy Garcia from the White Sox to the Phillies for Gavin Floyd and Gio Gonzalez. That deal ended my colleague Ken Mandel’s dinner, as he left our table to head back to the Dolphin Hotel to pursue the story. Sorry Mandel, it was a pretty good meal.

As I dined with my colleagues, we began discussing the greatest sitcom characters of all-time. So I pose the question to you: Who is the greatest sitcom character of all-time? There is no real criteria here, so just throw out your answers.

The Rule 5 Draft takes place Thursday morning, though the Yankees won’t be making any news there. Brian Cashman takes off on Thursday afternoon, and in all likelihood, will head back to New York with the same team he had when he got here.

another racist! which archie bunker shows did redbug and mark like the best? the ones where he made fun of the hispanic dockworker with a physical disability (a limp) (what was his name? “Little Elmo”?)? or the one where your alter ego archie called gloria’s husband a long haired hippie liberal? maybe the latter is sam’s favorite!

mark, dont you think the wise and non-abusive thing for you to do today is to delete this “contribution” ‘winter meetings day 3’ and reword it by omitting your racist encouragement to posters to list their favorite situation comedies like ‘all in the family’ where archie bunker constantly made insulting remarks to and about minorities? that and a sincere apology might suffice. how do i contact mlb and mlb blogs to get their help and advice about your intentional or inadvertent bigotry?

and it isnt funny if you are one of the minorities being attacked. maybe you didnt intend to offend me and others but you did. what were you thinking? would you have your photo taken with a member of a minority?

“In other developments, the Mariners gauged the Yankees’ interest in first baseman Richie Sexson. To make the deal work – Sexson has $28 million for the next two seasons – the Yankees told the Mariners they would have to take the $22.95 million and two years remaining on Carl Pavano’s deal. Seattle politely declined. ”

The Yankees’ starting rotation took another hit on Saturday, when Joe Torre announced that Carl Pavano will miss his start on Sunday due to shoulder soreness.
Pavano could make his next scheduled start right before the All-Star break, but that remains up in the air. As of Saturday, the Yankees weren’t considering placing the right-hander on the disabled list.

“It’s a major concern because you don’t know what the extent of it is,” Torre said. “Let’s see how serious it is before we start thinking about two weeks.”

Pavano, who threw a bullpen session on Wednesday (he normally doesn’t throw bullpens between starts), didn’t seem overly concerned about the injury, saying he thought he would make a start next weekend.

Every year, Brian Cashman manages to steal the headlines by acquiring at least one big name. Is it safe to say he’s capable of doing the same this year? I think so. He always times these things perfectly.

Although many Yankees fans are content to stand pat, I just don’t think that’s going to happen. At least, not anymore. I’m now convinced that the Yankees are going to make some sort of big trade.

But as to the players involved, anyone’s guess is as good as mine. Here’s hoping it’s Giambi, who I’m sure can be dealt for some solid talent (if he agrees to it, of course).

To say that someone is a racist for finding Archie Bunker funny is laughable. All in the Family was one of the most popular shows ever on TV. I guess all of America is racist. What an unintelligent argument.

If Chavez and Nieves are the only ones battling for the backup catcher role, I’m going to continue to not care. That’s because nobody has ever cared that much about who the backup catcher was ever before, and the team can survive without Jorge’s bat if they have to.

By the way, it looks like Josh Bard has moved up to the starting spot on San Diego’s depth chart now that Piazza is gone. That should quell some trade rumors, especially now that the only decent catchers are now off the market.

“and it isnt funny if you are one of the minorities being attacked. maybe you didnt intend to offend me and others but you did.”

Yeah, speaking as someone of Hispanic descent, I in no way was offended by Mark’s assertion that Archie Bunker is one of the greatest sitcom characters of all time. I mean, are we kidding here? Should Communists be offended that the father in That 70’s Show is anti-Communist?

Relax already. It’s people like you that take all the fun out of life. And for the record, we don’t need high and mighty people like “ebbie” to defend ourselves. Unless you think we can’t do it ourselves, which would actually, in turn, make YOU a racist, ebbie!

Well, the way I see it…the White Sox cleared the way for McCarthy to be a starter, and if Gavin Floyd manages to finally live up to his potential, then the White Sox are huge winners in that deal. Also, recall that Freddy is in the last year of his contract.

But I agree that moving Garland is strange. That just doesn’t seem like a good idea.

Paul, I figured it was that person. But I just wanted to make the point that I don’t need someone like him to protect me from Mark’s supposedly offensive comments. I feel that an adult male is more than capable of handling such things on his own.

The possible Garland deal makes some sense from different standpoints. As for Houston…it covers them for if Pettitte/Clemens doesn’t return. Should this deal go through, I think it’s an indication that they definitely will not go more than the $12 mil for Andy that they have offered and that with the Yanks $15 mil/yr offer (and possibly a two-year offer at ??) that Andy may be coming home.

The White Sox are looking for a CF, and somehow couldn’t get Rowand back in the Garcia deal. In trading Garland, they would get Tavares for CF and also get two top young prospects in Hirsh (#27 on topprospectalert.com) and Buchholz (#31).

He does not sound like a really good 1B and his hitting is somewhat less than what I would expect of Phillips in his 2nd year in the majors.

Now maybe this is an option at DH and there will be a change there. But is there is any thought to using Phelps and Giambi at 1B, with you know who at the other corner, Mussina may just flat out refuse to pitch.

My point, Swo, is it was not even remotely concerned about protecting you nor anyone else. It merely was making those comments to pick on Mark, cause trouble and garner attention, which, unfortunately I have granted it.

Ah, good point, Paul. I suppose I made a mistake in addressing it as well.

This Phelps guy doesn’t sound too great, but it IS the Rule 5 draft, so the chances of him panning out are slim to none and the Yankees lose nothing at all by picking him up. Also recall that Andy Phillips could still see playing time as a late defensive replacement if Phelps becomes our starting 1B.

You guys may remember Phelps from Toronto. He was a decent young player there, hit 15 home runs in half a season as a rookie in 2002, including one off Clemens that was one of the longest shots I’ve ever seen.

BTW this Garcia for Gavin Floyd deal, faaantastic for the Phillies! Yay! But it is so seemingly lopsided in favor of the Phils that I can only assume Kenny Williams is from South Philly or something 😀
Garcia will give the Phils the extra push they need in order to make the playoffs this year. Woohoo!

Swo, interesting that you mention the possibility of trading for Lieber. I had an interesting idea on the train this morning….how about Carl Pavano for Lieber and Chris Coste? Coste is almost good enough to be a starting C in my opinion (although the Phils apparently still plan to use him as a backup) so that would be a huge upgrade over any backup C we’ve had in recent memory. It would allow Posada to get in as many games at 1st and or DH as Torre’s little heart desires. And Lieber is our boy and we already know he can handle NY. What do you guys think?

Well, once again, the Winter Meetings leave me waiting. Seems every winter Brian Cashman does a good job of investigating and then I have to wait weeks for an end of the year present. Let’s hope he keeps the receipt this time (still searching my files for the return receipt for Pavano).

Just a side comment, Archie BUnker was a biggot. but the appeal of this character is that you watched him change over the course of the series. The changes were difficult for him and he did most of it in private. The viewer had pleanty about which to disapprove (like baptising his grandchild against the parent’s wishes), but watching to growth was the most interesting thing about him (and I am part of the one of the groups towrad which he expressed racist attitudes… but I’ll bet so are most of the people who identified him).

I want to say Josh Phelps played here for the Indians…may be wrong. My all time favoirte show was All in the Family. To this day, I sit and watch that show and laugh my a*** off. Hands down, no better character than Caroll O’Conner as Archie Bunker. They just don’t make sitcoms like that show anymore. The show w/Sammy Davis kissing Archie Bunker is priceless…

I also think the Freddy Garcia trade looks a little lop-sided…a proven MLB pitcher for a “late-blooming” minor leaguer? I would love to see Andy Pettitte back in pinstripes. He was my favorite Yankee until that little defecting to the Astros episode. Anyway, I hope the Garland to Houston deal will push Pettitte to the Bronx. I would also hope that Cashman could move Pavano for a batboy and a Golden Retriever. Or even just the Golden Retriever…but Pavano would probably shoot it with his licensed handgun…

So what does everyone think of that trade I proposed earlier? Pavano for Lieber and Coste?
Or actually, I know the Phillies are looking for RPs in exchange for Lieber..so maybe throw in Sean Henn too.

Also heard a very interesting rumor from a Jays fan today. Apparently Gil Meche is preparing to sign with Kansas City (?!?) so the Jays are out of the running for him. This dude said that he heard the Jays would start shopping Vernon Wells in exchange for a top starter since there is little to no chance he will re-sign with Toronto after this year anyway.

Veddy interesting. If the Jays end up trading Wells somewhere he doesn’t want to play in the long term, it puts us in a great position to make a run for him when he is a FA! At that point Abreu’s contract will be up, so we could play Melky and Wells in left and center and rotate Matsui and Damon between right and DH.

I know I’m looking far in the future but I’m very much about getting Wells in pinstripes at some point ASAP!

I know TV critics and historians loved Archie Bunker but I was never a fan-too much yelling. I also wasn’t too big a fan of the Jeffersons which was a spin off of Archie Bunker if I remember correctly.

I also like Kevin James-King of Queens, and I know it’s not a sitcom, but Wayne Brady from Whose Line is amazingly funny!

Interesting comments about the sitcom characters. Just read where Bonds signed a one-year deal with the Giants. The Royals have added Brian Bannister and Gil Meche to their rotation. Lots of interesting news in the world of baseball. Now, I’m ready for pitchers and catchers to report. One more sitcom character I forgot to add to my list – Denny Crane of Boston Legal. Not one of the all-time greats, but he is an instant classic!

But there is something different about the way the Yankees conduct themselves amidst the field of cutthroat extremely rich men who own the most of Major League Baseball.

To be or have been a Yankee is something special. It is more than a job; there is a degree of honor in wearing the pinstripes.

Bronson Arroyo gave a hometown discount to the budget-challenged Red Sox so he could stay with the organization for many years; he was traded.

Carl Pohlad, billionaire, keeps his team payroll as one of the lowest in baseball so he can pocket his share of the luxury tax and does not reinvest the money which is intended to instill competitive balance in anything other than his wallet. He also tried to eliminate his team and the thousands of jobs directly and indirectly related to his team operations so he could pocket a secret payoff organized in a backroom deal with the Commissioner. This deal dissolved when the public caught wind of it.

Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has been trying to get the taxpayers to provide him with a new stadium. In a petulant rebuke to the taxpayers who did not want to blatantly increase his wealth he sold off most of his recognizable players and entertained ovations from other cities to relocate his team. This is all after he scuttled the Montreal team by refusing to make stadium repairs in Montreal at his expense and somehow went through a couple of seasons without television deals for his team to assure they would fail.

In contrast, George Steinbrenner, with all his blustery faults of firing people in tirades only to quietly rehire them or slip them large cash settlements to help them land on their feet, has shown his character one more time. Yes, he is building a new stadium with Yankee money and asking the city to provide permanent infrastructure improvements, but there is a personal story to note here.

Dwight Gooden has made a mess of his life more times than I can count. But he was a Yankee. Yet Steinbrenner continues to support him in ways more than giving him money. He continues to give Gooden a hand up, and most importantly, hope.

How many owners would do this? How many people would do this? How many of us would do this?

In this time of Christmas, and other holidays, there is a message here that is not manipulated to get publicity, not planned to bring in more business, but reflects what it is to be a Yankee.

So when fans of other teams rail about the evil Yankees and inveigh how the Yankees throw around money, recognize the blather for its hypocrisy. No team shows greater loyalty to his players. There will always be something special about being a Yankee.

nice link, i see i didnt miss much over the last couple of days here. i read somewhere (cant place where now) that the bosox are concerned abt their ability to sign daisy-mat. anyone else here anything abt that??

I read a report that the Yanks and Pirates were discussing a deal that would send Kevin Thompson for Damaso Marte. This deal would have the following effect: Marte, who was once in the Yankee system, is a lefty reliever, and would provide insurance if Villone doesn’t return or the Yanks can’t get Schoeneweis if Villone leaves. Secondly…if the Yanks deal Kevin Thompson, the odds of Bernie Williams coming back increase. At present, Bernie would be competing with the likes of a Thompson or Guiel for the 5th OF spot. This spot would get 100-150 at bats a year, and would mostly be used for a defensive replacement and pinch running purposes. You would want an OF who plays all three positions and would not want someone earning a lot of money. Hence, Thompson would get the nod over Bernie. He can play all 3 of positions, has more speed than Bernie and is younger and cheaper. Even with Thompson gone, it may be tough to bring back Bernie. It may be that Yankee fans may be saying “welcome back” to one Yankee (Pettitte) and “farewell” to another (Bernie).

Another good read I read today was that the deadline for Matsuzaka, now less than a week away, is a deadline where ALL THINGS MUST BE DONE BY MIDNIGHT THAT NIGHT. That means all physicals, contracts signed, everything. With paperwork and physicals involved, figure 2 days for that and that Boras/Matsuzaka and the Red Sox actually would have to come to a deal on the 12th—not the 14th. Interesting.

Busy today, and I have our club’s Christmas party to attend tonight. Catch you later.

Hey guys. *sigh* on a non-baseball note today is a bad day for me. Two years ago today, my all-time favorite guitarist, Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott of Pantera, was brutally murdered while playing a show in Columbus, OH (which is now my least favorite city and I would not cry were it all to be burned down to the ground tomorrow.)
Anyway, it blows. I’m sad. Still doesn’t quite feel real.

Had things to do, checked in and got great news. I have to leave for my club’s Christmas Party in about 1/2 an hour, and you can imagine how happy that party will now be!

I’ve been saying for a while that the Yanks need a solid #2 in order for Mussina to go to 3 and RJ to 4. Andy fits in perfectly. The amount is a lot, but it’s not a long term deal, and hopefully Igawa pans out and it gives us three lefties in the rotation.

I am sooo excited I’ve almost lost all ability to function coherently. As Karl said, I am getting the feeling I only get when Bernie homers twice in one game, or in May 05 when Tino was hitting all those HRs and was player of the month or something.

Whooooooooooo!! The prodigal son returns to the nest! Ahhh this is awesome 😀

Much-needed great news on a sad day (R.I.P. John Lennon and Dimebag Darrell.) …this really couldn’t have happened at a better time for me. I was so sad all day and now aaaahhh a slice of heaven!!

It’s great to see that Andy Pettitte is coming back. Going into the offseason, i never even anticipated Pettitte being a major possibility, and after Matsuzaka was out of the question and it was looking more and more like Zito was a long shot, i was disappointed that the best options were guys like Lilly or Meche..but Andy Pettitte…wow, this is exciting.

At around 5:30 i got on my cell phone to check mlb.com on my mobile web to see if any big signings went down today, and the top headline was “Pettitte Returns to Yankees with 1-Year deal” and i actually got so excited i threw my phone. don’t worry, just the battery cover came off, it was fine..

We got Andy back? Wow.. just wow. I never thought that would happen. I wasn’t keen them signing him to a long term deal, but a one year with a player option for two sounds like a smart move for both sides. Andy was my favorite yankee. It will be nice to be able to see him pitch again.

This is all so wonderful. A 1 year deal to ease the transition to the younger arms, someone who knows how to do this in New York, reliable, the great pickoff move, a lefty in Yankee Stadium…he’s such a perfect Yankee. A farm product, even.

Now the major objective of this offseason-starting pitching-has nearly been addressed entirely. 2 months ago, when the season ended, we weren’t exactly expecting Andy Pettitte and Kei Igawa to be the answers, were we? Amazing how that worked out.

The only remaining roles to be filled are strictly backup roles, with a catcher, infielder, the 5th OF situation (Bernie?), and maybe a bullpen arm (Marte? I know he was solid a few years ago in Chicago, but then fell off the planet. Not sure if I like him). There’s also the 1B situation, but I will not complain if they are done right now.

I read something regarding the 1st base situation…i can’t remember if it was by an SI guy or an ESPN guy…but he suggested the Yankees trading one of their pitching prospects like Humberto Sanchez to get Nick Johnson back. Gotta say it doesn’t sound like that bad of an idea to me. I don’t think they’ll get Shea Hillenbrand and frankly there aren’t really many better options. But i’m fine with sticking with Andy. I just remember watching Nick Johnson coming up and figuring he had the potential to be a great Yankee, and he’s not bad. we’ll see.

Brian – I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing Nick Johnson back in pinstripes either. Sanchez for Johnson would be a pretty good deal, and Washington could definitely use the pitching help.

But in my opinion, Cashman is going to keep stockpiling the young arms. Right now the pitching market is ridiculously overinflated, and Cash sees it’s only going to get worse. The fact that the Yankees, conceivably, are going to slow down in their pursuit of FA starters over the next few years is going to single-handedly drive down asking prices.

I say this because first base is a very deep position, and a decent 1B can usually be had pretty easily. A guy like Sanchez is tougher to come by.

But if we were to send the Nats, say, Matt DeSalvo (would never happen), then I would definitely rubber stamp it. 😛